We All Fall Down
by vernajast
Summary: When Uzumaki Naruto fell in the line of duty, the Konoha Police Department buried him with full honors. But now Sasuke's left with an empty house, an empty bed—an empty life—and he doesn't know how to cope. The truth is, for the first time in his life, Sasuke feels completely lost. SasuNaru/NaruSasu, Police AU, angst w/a happy ending.
1. Prologue (ash)

_AU Police/Detective story - SasuNaru/NaruSasu_

**A/N: **_Thank you for joining me for another story! This one is sad, but I hope at the end you'll be glad you read it (think "happy ending!" — __**I promise! **__I already finished it, so I'm sure!). Special thanks to Yaoi415 (my wife) for being the first to hear it and give feedback; she's the reason this story even makes sense! _

_There are 7 chapters (plus a prologue and an epilogue, and a side-story that's still in progress), and I'll post one chapter per day for the next week. I hope you enjoy it!_

**Warnings: **_angst like whoa (maybe bring tissues), flashbacks, suicidal thoughts, smoking cigarettes, alcohol, smut, implied character death_

* * *

**We All Fall Down**

**by vernajast**

"**omnes vulnerant, postuma necat"  
**_(all the hours wound; the last one kills)_

**Prologue. (ash)  
**_**  
**_

Ash falls and gathers around the crease where glass meets wood on the table top. The tumbler—previously filled to the brim with scotch, then rum, then whatever alcohol had been left in the house—is now brimming with the remains of cigarettes, sooty and damp against the sides.

It's been three days.

Three nights of sleeping alone.

Seventy-two hours of silence in the suddenly too-big townhouse.

Six glasses full of ash and sodden cigarette butts.

The stench of it turns his stomach, but not as much as the thoughts that crowd into all the empty spaces in his head. The possibilities. Contingencies. Backup plans.

The would-haves and should-haves.

None of it matters now.

A clock in the den chimes three a.m., and Sasuke shifts slightly, lights another cigarette, inhales deeply. He listens, as he always does, for the sound of clumsy feet on slick stairs, the rustle of keys before the right one is found and slotted into the lock, the click of the mechanism, and the slam of the front door.

The house remains silent.

Itachi says he's falling apart. He whispered it at the funeral this afternoon. His thin lips were tilted into a smirk that reeked of self-satisfaction and amusement at his little brother's suffering.

Perhaps he's right.

_[TBC]_


	2. Chapter 1 (mourning)

_**A/N:** The same warnings from the prologue apply throughout the story. Each chapter from here on out will start with a flashback that bleeds into reality._

_First half, in italics and past tense = **flashback**_  
_Second half, not italics and present tense = **present reality**_

_Next chapter will post tomorrow!_

* * *

**We All Fall Down**

**by vernajast**

"**omnes vulnerant, postuma necat"  
**_(all the hours wound; the last one kills)_

**Chapter 1. (mourning)**

_Blond hair tickled his cheek; he carelessly brushed it away. "I'm working."_

_It was a dismissal, but Naruto's arms simply tightened around Sasuke's chest. His tan chin settled on his shoulder. "C'mon, Sasuke, you're always working..." There was the hint of a whine in his voice, but they'd had this conversation a thousand times before; both knew where it was going._

"_I'm appearing before the judge in two days." The case was important—even Naruto knew that—and Sasuke had been more tense than usual, focused, but also subtly stressed over the possible outcomes._

"_But don't you need a break..." He nipped at the shell of Sasuke's ear with his teeth and slipped one rough hand inside the collar of the lawyer's pressed dress shirt, sliding his palm over the Uchiha's smooth, well-built chest. His fingertips teased one of Sasuke's nipples and his lips attached themselves to his neck._

"_Don't," Sasuke whispered breathlessly, and they both knew he wasn't asking him to stop, only reminding Naruto that if he left a mark on his neck and forced Sasuke to wear a scarf for a week, he would personally make the blond's life a living hell._

_Naruto chuckled against Sasuke's skin. "Prissy bastard..."_

_Just as he began to unbutton the Uchiha's shirt, Sasuke's phone buzzed to life on the desk in front of them. "Ignore it," Sasuke ordered. He raised his arm and wrapped it around Naruto's neck, encouraging his mouth to move lower and press kisses against his sensitive collarbone._

_The incessant buzzing continued until..._

Sasuke blindly fumbles for the phone, nearly drops it, flips it open. "What?!"

He's still sitting in the chair. His cheek is pressed into the very solid surface of his desk, and his neck is frozen into what must be the most awkward position possible. It refuses to move. He opens his eyes slowly, but the light streaming in through the window is too bright; it stabs at his pupils and forces him to close them again.

The voice on the phone is talking, but the topic of conversation has been completely lost on him.

"What? Start over."

"Well, sir, it's been decided that, uh...given the current circumstances and the reputation of our firm, that you should take some time off to rest and recover from your loss."

It's his secretary, and she's finally calling to tell Sasuke what he's been expecting all along. The law firm's reputation is suffering due to the high-profile nature of the investigation, so he's being put on forced vacation to prevent any further damage to the company image.

He closes the phone without reply, effectively hanging up on the overly nervous woman, and it doesn't matter. With four cases in progress, two coming to jury trial in the next week, he's been placed on administrative leave...and he can't be bothered to care.

Gingerly, Sasuke raises his head from the surface of the desk, wincing as his body protests. The too-large, too-heavy feeling in his head alerts him to the truth of things: he's hungover. As if on cue, his stomach turns a somersault and he dashes to the connected bathroom to empty the contents of his stomach.

He almost expects his conspicuously absent boyfriend to burst in at any moment, laughing and teasing him about not being able to hold his liquor. _Idiot... _He spends the rest of the day curled on the floor of the bathroom, afraid to move, afraid to face reality. For just a little while longer, he allows himself to embrace his grief.

It's only when he can no longer ignore the gnawing hunger in his gut that he finally rolls to his knees, steadies himself with a hand on the sink, and rises to his feet. The proud Uchiha doesn't cast a glance in the mirror, nor does he straighten his rumpled clothes. He shuffles out of the bathroom and through his home office, barely noticing that it's after dark already, and continues down the hall and into the kitchen. Even without turning on the light, he can easily discern the outline of an empty ramen cup and chopsticks carelessly forgotten on the kitchen cabinet.

They've been there for days now, but he hasn't found the courage to remove them.

Suddenly losing his appetite, he moves on toward the master bedroom, but it's more of the same...

His hands tremble at the thought of opening the closet door to find an assortment of brightly colored t-shirts mixed in with his own somber suits. (He had tried to keep them separate, of course—Naruto's clothes on the left and his own on the right—but at some point the lines had blurred.) Sasuke's dogeared copy of the Konoha penal code sits on the nightstand atop the latest issue of Naruto's favorite comic. The blond's ridiculous orange alarm clock and Sasuke's reading glasses are balanced haphazardly along the edge. The clothes hamper in the corner is stacked with his own white dress shirts, one of Naruto's dirty uniforms...

The Konoha police department logo clearly stands out against the black cotton fabric.

Stacked atop the dresser is Naruto's bulletproof vest, the one he had decided not to wear the last time he—

Sasuke's hand moves to his pocket of its own accord, but the cigarettes are still sitting on the desk in the office. Instead of retrieving them, he flops onto the unmade bed and pulls the blankets up over his head. If he's going to breakdown, he'd prefer to do it under the cover of darkness, in his own bed, surrounded by Naruto's fading scent.

_[TBC]_


	3. Chapter 2 (answers)

_**A/N:**__ The same warnings from the prologue apply throughout the story. Each chapter starts with a flashback that bleeds into reality._

_First half, in italics and past tense = **flashback**_  
_Second half, not italics and present tense = **present reality**_

_Next chapter will post tomorrow!_

* * *

**We All Fall Down**

**by vernajast**

"**omnes vulnerant, postuma necat"  
**_(all the hours wound; the last one kills)_

**Chapter 2. (answers)**

_He was going to suffocate, he just knew it._

_Sasuke was going to die, smothered by an idiot and drowning in too many blankets and stray limbs, but he wasn't quite awake enough to put up a proper fight and regain the ability to breathe. Instead, he reached out randomly toward his bed-partner and the heel of his hand collided with Naruto's adam's apple._

_The blond_—_who had been sleeping soundly up until that moment_—_sputtered and coughed, caught between a gasp and a yell. The offending limbs flailed and waved, and then Naruto haphazardly rolled off of the bed and landed on the floor with a muted thud and a yelp. "Ah! Y-you_—_cough_—_jerk!"_

_Sasuke rolled over into the warmth of Naruto's side of the bed and only felt the slightest hint of remorse; at least he could breathe again. With a smirk, he wiggled deeper into the covers and nuzzled against the pillow._

_Naruto's stomach growled audibly and he clambered up off the floor and crawled over the bed, and subsequently over Sasuke, leaving a quick kiss on the sleepy Uchiha's forehead before bounding toward the kitchen. Almost immediately the sound of pots and pans banging against the cabinets carried down the hallway._

_It was a typical Saturday morning, and Naruto was probably destroying the kitchen in an attempt to make chocolate chip pancakes. He could already smell something burning..._

He doesn't open his eyes immediately, but instead lies very still, his senses straining to reaffirm that he isn't alone.

Of course, he is.

It's two days later and Sasuke has finally received the inevitable summons. He's been asked to come down to the police station to make an official statement and answer a few questions.

It makes sense, he knows that, but it doesn't stop him from resenting how the whole case is being handled. As if he is just another member of the victim's family. As if he is some kind of 'person of interest,' a potential suspect. Does someone actually think he is capable of...of...

He punches his fist into the wall above the headboard of the bed, not caring that the plaster cracks and the paint chips away. It isn't the first time. "Fuck!" He's losing control of the situation. He's being asked to wait, to take the proper legal channels and respect the rule of law he knows so well. He's being left out of the loop whereas before he had always been informally included.

All he really wants are answers.

To this end, he forces himself to get out of bed. He wills his body into the shower for the first time in a week. And he opens the closet with trembling hands.

Waiting inside are Naruto's clothes, meshed in between his own, the perfect metaphor for the life they built together. Sasuke can't stand to look at them, as if nothing has changed and any moment Naruto is just going to walk through the bedroom door..._dammit..._walk through the door and clumsily try to grab his ass and..._g-god dammit..._and laugh when Sasuke makes a feigned attempt to swat him away. His vision blurs and he rapidly blinks to clear away the offensive drops. (He refuses to call them tears. Refuses.)

He grabs the first shirt his hand lands on that isn't some offensively vibrant color and clumsily pulls it over his head. He does the same for his pants, and then hastily shoves his feet into a pair of casual dress shoes. _'You're not going to work, ya know, so why look so uptight?' _Naruto's voice in his head is loud and unwelcome and Sasuke blinks again, cursing his own emotional weakness.

Keys. Wallet. Watch. Phone. He takes one last look around the empty bedroom and slips out into the hall. He glances in the mirror, but the face looking back isn't his own. It's gaunt and drawn, paler than can possibly be healthy, and dark circles line the hollows of his eyes. He can't even maintain eye contact with himself, so he looks away.

His charcoal gray suit jacket rests innocently on the buffet where he had so carelessly discarded it the week before. A single white carnation lies crushed and crumbling within its folds. He slides it on over his shoulders and tosses the flower away. His jaw tightens involuntarily at the crinkle of paper in the pocket: the funeral program. His resolve waivers only momentarily and he considers going back to bed, but he takes a final, steadying breath before stepping out the door and locking it behind him.

Kakashi wants to talk to him, and Sasuke doesn't intend to turn down his first chance to get some real answers.

When Sasuke pulls his car into the police station parking lot, he stops in one of the open spaces and turns off the engine, but he makes no move to go inside. He sits in the driver's seat, hands resting on the wheel, examining the way his fingers curl around the molded leather, lost in memories of those same fingers curling around the curve of Naruto's hip.

The sudden rap of knuckles against his car window snaps Sasuke back to reality and he looks up to find Kiba, Naruto's partner, staring back through the glass, a pitying expression pasted across his features. "You comin' in?"

_So it begins, _Sasuke muses as he finally exits the car.

Entering the station, he finds more of the same: familiar faces exuding only sympathy. The station, usually loud and chaotic, is eerily silent as he follows Kiba to the captain's office. Kakashi is already waiting for him, so Kiba leaves with a faint pat on Sasuke's shoulder and closes the door to give them some privacy. The blinds have been drawn so that no one can see into the small office, and he's at least thankful that this whole ordeal won't be on public display for Naruto's friends and colleagues to witness.

Kakashi sits back in the chair behind the desk and it squeaks loudly. The air around them is heavy, cluttered with unspoken—_unspeakable_—questions. He picks up a pen, puts it down. He slides a mini tape-recorder across his desk, but the darkened LED indicates he hasn't begun recording. "So, how are you sleeping?"

He asks in his usual nonchalant tone, but Sasuke isn't convinced. "Why am I here?" He sits down and crosses one leg over the other in an attempt to affect the same nonchalance. He watches Kakashi's every move, his eyes coldly appraising the captain in the same way he would a witness on the stand. "Am I a suspect?" He licks his lips once and raises a brow. "Are you that stupid?"

Kakashi sighs softly and rubs his chin. "You tell me. All of our other leads have been dead ends."

_That's it!_ The Uchiha stands up so fast that the chair he's been sitting in skitters backward and nearly topples over. "What do you want to know?!" His fists pound the desk when he leans closer. "Naruto is **dead.** As far as I'm concerned, if _you _aren't going to find the answers, you're just as responsible as the criminal who pulled the trigger." His voice is low and sharp, and each word deals a strategic blow against his target. "You _know_ I had nothing to do with it, so stop wasting time and find the real culprit, or I will bring my own charges against this department for negligence and Internal Affairs will be up your ass faster than you can say '_lawsuit_.'"

Without waiting for Kakashi's reaction, Sasuke storms out of the station, ignoring the greetings of many of the members of the police force and even pushing Shikamaru aside on his way through the door. As he climbs into his car, Kiba's close on his heels, and he grabs the car door before Sasuke can get it closed.

"He wouldn't wanna see you like this, man..."

"Lucky for him, he can't."

"That's not the point. C'mon, Uchiha, you gotta—"

"What I do now is hardly any of your business. Maybe if you'd been doing your job, your _partner _wouldn't have died." He takes advantage of Kiba's shock to close the door and pull out of the parking lot, slinging gravel and skidding his tires as he merges onto the highway.

He just drives with no destination in mind.

_[TBC]_


	4. Chapter 3 (darkness)

_**A/N:**__ The same warnings from the prologue apply throughout the story. Each chapter starts with a flashback that bleeds into reality._

_First half, in italics and past tense = __**flashback**_  
_Second half, not italics and present tense = __**present reality**_

_Next chapter will post tomorrow!_

* * *

**Ashes, Ashes, We All Fall Down**

**by vernajast**

"**omnes vulnerant, postuma necat"  
**_(all the hours wound; the last one kills)_

**Chapter 3. (darkness)**

"_I told you to fill the tank." Sasuke sighed and threw his head back against the rest attached to his seat. They were who-knew-where, broken down in the middle of some bridge, with no cell signal and no gas, and it was getting dark. The last town was at least five miles back. They hadn't passed another car, and looking up the road, there weren't any headlights coming toward them, either. This was so typical. Why couldn't Naruto have listened to him, just once, god, he was such a_—

"_You're doing that thing again." Naruto was staring at Sasuke from the driver's seat. "Dude, chill out! You worry too much!" With this sage advice, the blond opened the car door and jumped out, slamming it behind him. He crossed the road without bothering to check for oncoming traffic and jogged over to the railing on the other side of the bridge._

_Sasuke watched him go, eyes narrowed and jaw clenched. He'd known this was a terrible idea all along. He opened the door and followed, not because he cared what happened to be beneath the bridge, but because he knew his best friend well enough to know that he needed adult supervision or he might fall._

"_Look!" Naruto yelled over his shoulder. He had climbed up on the rail and half of his body was leaning out over valley and river below. "I wonder if it's legal to bungee jump here. That'd be awesome!"_

_Sasuke rolled his eyes and took hold of the back of Naruto's pants. He yanked roughly, dragging Naruto down off the railing, but he hadn't accounted for the extra weight and lost his footing himself. His heel hit the edge of the pavement and Sasuke fell backward, taking Naruto with him. God, he would never live this down. Naruto would laugh now, and then there would be weeks of gloating and teasing. Fuck...why were they friends, again?_

_He opened his eyes to find Naruto's staring back at him, much closer than he'd imagined, and just as shocked. There was an awkward moment where the tension between them was nearly visible it was so thick. Sasuke could feel Naruto's breath on his chin and the weight and heat of his body pressing down on him._

_He let his eyes close again. "You're heavy." And the awkwardness passed as suddenly as it had started when Naruto mumbled something incoherent and quickly rolled off of Sasuke's chest. They both lay on the side of the road, silently gazing up at the stars that were starting to peek through as dusk became darkness._

_Sasuke couldn't be sure when Naruto had taken his hand_—_or had he taken Naruto's?_—_but he grasped it tightly._

Sasuke pulls the car off of the highway and onto the shoulder. The crunch of gravel under the tires seems distant, unrelated to his current reality. He reaches into the glove box and retrieves a small black case. It's cliche, really, and he knows it, but deep down, Naruto had been sentimental to a fault, so...Sasuke had thought, maybe...well...

_It doesn't matter anymore._

He tucks the box into his pocket and climbs out of the car. With even steps, he walks to the center of the bridge.

Six years ago, Naruto's car had run out of gas just across the road.

He leans over the rail, idly observing the rush of water beneath the bridge, and it's as if he's watching someone else when he raises his foot and steps up onto the second rail.

Six years ago, at this very spot, it had all begun.

He pulls the small box from his pocket and opens it. A pair of platinum rings lie innocently inside: two wedding bands, simple but elegant, already sized and etched with their names. It really is so fucking cliche, and what the _hell _was he thinking?

He closes the box and stares at it in the palm of his hand for a few seconds. Whether he wants to admit it to himself or not, Sasuke would have liked to have heard Naruto's answer, had he ever found the right time and place to ask. He had wanted it to be perfect.

He had wanted...so many things, all impossible now.

Solemnly and with very deliberate movements, he tosses the box over the side of the bridge. He climbs up onto the next rail, eyes tracking the small object until it hits the water, but he can't quite manage to convince himself to climb down. He can't just turn his back on the box and all it represented to him and walk away.

What does he even have to return to? He'll go home to an empty townhouse, devoid of life but full to the brim with oppressive tension and the ever-present weight of memories. He'll stare at the ramen cup on the counter, at the orange toothbrush in the bathroom, and the tangled wiring of the game system attached to their television, and each will torment him a different way. Each will serve as one more reminder of what he's lost. What he couldn't hold onto. What he didn't deserve to keep.

Sasuke isn't embarrassed by the tears that inevitably begin to fall. Just once in his life, he had wanted to have something that was real—something clean, and wholly, completely his own, not the result of his money or his family's infamous reputation. He had tried to shield Naruto from that side of his life, and what good had it done either of them?

The wind picks up and Sasuke grasps the nearest metal girder to keep his balance. But why? Why cling to life when his only reason for living has been taken away? He contemplates the water below, his heightened awareness sharply focused on the minutest details: the waves lapping at the shore, debris floating in the channel, the reflection of the afternoon sun on the rippling surface.

It would be so easy to simply let go...close his eyes...and—_"Yeah, right! I knew you were a bastard. Didn't know you were a wimp, too!"_

_Naruto. _Sasuke smiles sardonically and tightens his lax grip on the girder. What would Naruto think of him now? Would he really accuse him of being a coward, of taking the easy way out? Does it matter? Isn't Sasuke entitled to be selfish for once in his goddamned life?

If the police had some kind of answers, he might at least be temporarily satisfied. He might be able to sleep at night if the people responsible were behind bars and being punished for their crimes. But as it is, no one knows anything. With no leads, no information, Naruto is just another statistic. Another body. Another dead cop.

Sasuke grinds his teeth, his jaw tightening with anger. "Naruto is _not_ a statistic!" he growls aloud. When he climbs down off the railing, his mind is already working out the next steps and he hurries back to the car.

Naruto didn't die in vain...

Naruto believed in the work that he did as a police officer...

He thought he was making the world a better place...

If he were here right now, he would tell Sasuke to make sure this never happened to anyone else.

Sasuke intends to honor that wish. He has enough money and connections to find Naruto's killers, and he has the resources to make sure they never destroy another life. Ever again.

His car turns a donut in the center of the highway, u-turning back toward the city. As he presses the gas to the floor, he picks up his cell phone and presses a number on the speed dial.

"Uncle Izuna." Sasuke moves the phone to his other ear so that he can talk, drive, and shift at the same time. "I have a favor to ask."

_[TBC]_


	5. Chapter 4 (betrayal)

_**A/N:**__ The same warnings from the prologue apply throughout the story. Each chapter starts with a flashback that bleeds into reality._

_First half, in italics and past tense = __**flashback**_  
_Second half, not italics and present tense = __**present reality**_

_Next chapter will post tomorrow!_

* * *

**Ashes, Ashes, We All Fall Down**

**by vernajast**

"**omnes vulnerant, postuma necat"  
**_(all the hours wound; the last one kills)_

**Chapter 4. (betrayal)**

_He looked at the clock again, counting the minutes between when their parents had said they would be home and the current time; they were already ninety minutes late._

_Itachi's brows furrowed as he sorted through the various reasons they could have been delayed, but his thoughts were disturbed by a sudden crash from the living room. He abandoned his homework half-finished on the kitchen table and scurried off toward the commotion, arriving just in time to find Naruto in tears and Sasuke staring wide-eyed in fright. The shattered remains of a vase lay scattered on the floor between them._

"_It's Sasuke's fault!" Naruto yelled as soon as he noticed Itachi. He took a giant step backward to put as much distance between himself and the evidence as possible._

"_Nu-uh!" Sasuke glared at his best friend in betrayal and jabbed an accusing finger in Naruto's direction. "You were jumping on the couch!"_

"_Well, you were the enemy ninja I was—"_

"_That's 'cause you ran away from the village! So I had to—"_

"_I was trying to—"_

_Itachi cleared his throat, and though it wasn't very loud, the message was clear enough. Both boys shut their mouths, eyes falling to the floor in shame. The older Uchiha allowed a small smile to curve his lips as he considered the best course of action. "Pick up the bigger pieces and throw them away, but be careful not to cut yourselves. I'll clean up the rest."_

_Naruto and Sasuke nodded in unison, and Itachi left them to retrieve the broom and dust pan from the kitchen. It wasn't long before the mess was taken care of and the younger boys were tucked into bed._

_Just as Itachi settled back into his chair at the kitchen table to finally finish his homework, there was a loud knock at the door. He frowned at the repeated interruptions, but obediently went to see who was there at such a late hour. As soon as he caught a glimpse of Naruto's godfather through the peephole, his stomach clenched instinctively; something was wrong._

_When he opened the door, his worst fears were confirmed._

"_Itachi, is Naruto awake?" None of Jiraiya's usual good cheer was visible. For once, the man truly looked his age. "There's...been an accident."_

In an office building much like any other, nondescript and terribly corporate, a single window remains illuminated. Inside, the dim glow of a computer screen and a single lamp brighten the walls of a small, yet well-decorated office. The crest of the Uchiha family hangs alongside several diplomas and certificates and a fading family portrait.

The office is silent save for the occasional click of a keyboard, so when the telephone rings, it's shrill and discordant. Itachi glances away from his computer long enough to take in the phone number splashed across the caller ID, and when he recognizes it, he sighs audibly, shifts in his chair, and pushes away from the keyboard.

He takes off his glasses and places them on the desk in front of him before picking up the phone. "Uncle."

"Itachi." The voice on the other end of the line is smooth, genteel. It's the kind of voice that runs in the family, and Itachi has long grown immune to its effects. "Something rather interesting has occurred."

"Interesting?" Itachi replies in the same affected tone. He makes a soft noise in his throat, an indication to continue. His fingers rub lightly at the leather edge of the calendar laid out across his desk. There are important numbers and figures sketched precisely into the margins, and a few of the dates are circled, highlighted, and scribbled over.

"Young Sasuke has finally rejoined the herd, so to speak." His uncle's amusement rings clearly through the wiring of the phone. Uncle Izuna is probably flashing one of his rare smiles. "I always said he would return some day. He _is _an Uchiha, after all; he belongs with his family."

As he explains the details of Sasuke's request, Itachi's lips press thinly together. "Yes, Uncle. This is interesting news, indeed. I will have to congratulate him, myself. Now, if you'll excuse me..."

"Of course. I have other calls to make. Your father will be relieved_—_"

"My father will be asleep, Uncle." Itachi tilts his head from side to side, stretching the burning muscles of his neck. It's far later than he thought. "But I will inform him in the morning, if you wish."

"I suppose that will do."

They say their goodbyes and Itachi places the receiver into its cradle. He stares at the phone for a long while before standing, retrieving his keys and coat, and hurrying out of the office, locking it up behind him.

He hadn't meant to stay so late. It will require an apology. Nearly every restaurant along the way is already closed, so he pulls into the first shop that's still open and orders enough Chinese takeout for two.

Across town, Sasuke tosses and turns in a bed that's recently become too big. He considers moving to the couch more than once, but dismisses the idea. Instead, he snatches his cigarettes and lighter off the nightstand and steps out onto the back porch. He paces amongst the mostly unused patio furniture, smoking and thinking, occasionally muttering to himself in the dark.

These days of inactivity are beginning to wear on him. He's becoming impatient. He had thought that calling his uncle would alleviate his feelings of unrest, but it had the opposite effect. _At least someone's doing something, _Sasuke tries to reassure himself. He pauses to flick ash from his cigarette; a few dying embers float down to the concrete. The wait is going to drive him to madness, he's sure, and he hasn't decided whether he minds it or not. Uncle Izuna has assured him that the killer will be found within the week, and that Sasuke will be allowed to deal the final blow. Vengeance, it seems, is within his grasp, and Naruto's killer will no longer be a threat to the people he had died to protect.

Sasuke inhales deeply and slowly exhales a stream of smoke into the cool night air. It leaves a bitterness on his tongue. It tastes like betrayal.

Of Naruto. Of his memory and the principles he lived by.

_Died by, _Sasuke reminds himself, and he stubs the cigarette out in an ashtray on the patio table before going back inside. There isn't any more alcohol in the house, but his doctor prescribed him a bottle of sleeping pills just after the funeral. He quickly downs twice as many as he should and collapses into the bed. Perhaps he'll sleep for days and awaken to find that the wait is finally over.

_[TBC]_


	6. Chapter 5 (reason)

_**A/N:**__ The same warnings from the prologue apply throughout the story. Each chapter starts with a flashback that bleeds into reality._

_First half, in italics and past tense = **flashback**_  
_Second half, not italics and present tense = **present reality**_

* * *

**We All Fall Down**

**by vernajast**

"**omnes vulnerant, postuma necat"  
**_(all the hours wound; the last one kills)_

**Chapter 5. (reason)**

_It was his first funeral, and Sasuke wasn't quite sure how he was supposed to act. Should he cry like Naruto was? Or hold his head high in solemn strength like Father? Should he adopt his brother's habit of quietly wiping his eyes with the back of his hand every few minutes?_

_There were so many ways to mourn, and yet Sasuke remained unmoved, sitting still between Itachi and his mother, feeling nothing. There was nothing to feel. He knew Naruto's parents were gone, he could understand that, but crying wasn't going to bring them back. __**Nothing **__would bring them back, so what was the point of having a funeral? Why bring so many sad people together at once? And every time one of them stopped by Naruto, sitting all alone in the front row, Sasuke wanted to yell at them. He wanted to scream in their faces that they should leave him alone because he was just a scaredy cat who was going to have to go to bed without bedtime stories now and who wouldn't have anyone's bed to climb into when he was scared and what about the monsters? Naruto was scared of the monsters under the bed catching his toes and dragging him under, and who was going to check under the bed to make sure there wasn't anything there now that Uncle Minato was gone? Who was going to kiss him goodnight now that Aunt Kushina wouldn't be around to do it?_

_Sasuke raised a hand and pressed it to his cheek, astonished when his fingertips were wet with tears. Was he crying? When did he_—

_Another adult stopped just in front of Naruto to pay his respects and Sasuke jumped up out of his chair. Before he knew it, he was standing between his best friend and the stranger, glaring darkly and baring his teeth. "LEAVE HIM ALONE!" he yelled up at the tall man looming over them. He backed up and hugged Naruto. "Just go away!"_

_He wasn't sure how to react when the stranger broke into a smile and actually had the audacity to __**laugh **__at Sasuke's display._

"_That's no way to speak to your uncle, young man." He was still smiling, but Sasuke could tell there was nothing happy about it. "Fugaku, come and retrieve your whelp. He's making a scene."_

_When Sasuke's father approached, something strange happened: he was glaring at the man, too, and Itachi wasn't far behind him, wearing an equally angry expression. Confused, Sasuke just hugged Naruto tighter and let his best friend cry against his shoulder. The crowd around them was slowly filling with quiet whispers about Uchihas and dead policemen and evidence, and Naruto's daddy's name was mentioned more than once._

_Sasuke knew that Naruto's mommy and daddy weren't coming back, and he wasn't sure what was going to happen, but he pressed a kiss against Naruto's forehead the way he'd seen Aunt Kushina do it so many times before and silently promised that he would always be there to protect Naruto from now on._

Sasuke awakes to several knocks on the front door of the townhouse. He blinks bleary eyes at the ceiling and slowly coaxes his body to rise from the bed. By the angle of the sun, he can tell that it's at least past noon, and a glance at the clock on the way out of the bedroom confirms that it's nearly two in the afternoon. He rounds the corner from the hallway to the entry, tugging his t-shirt over his head, his steps counted out to the cadence of the insistent knocking on the door. He pauses briefly in front of the mirror, and after rubbing his eyes to clear them and ruffling his hair into some kind of shape, he finally deems himself ready to face _whoever _happens to be outside.

However, when he jerks the door open clumsily, about to comment on the rudeness of banging on someone's door for five minutes straight, he steps backward involuntarily and snaps his jaw shut. Standing there on the stoop is Uncle Izuna, himself.

Swallowing thickly, Sasuke quickly regains his composure, falling back on traditional Uchiha training. He stands up straighter and opens the door wide. "Uncle," he mutters as he steps aside, motioning for the man to enter his home.

Izuna's driver, undoubtedly the person who had been doing the knocking on his master's behalf, turns on his heel and walks away, presumably returning to the limousine parked just off the curb.

The elder Uchiha steps inside, and Sasuke sinks into host mode.

He closes the door behind them and follows his uncle into the kitchen. "Please have a seat," he says as easily as if he hadn't just awoken, and then he heads to the stove to put the kettle on to boil. The cabinet squeaks as he opens it to rummage for his best tea set, but when he can't locate it quickly, he settles for two mismatched, yet elegant tea cups and a simple black teapot.

He returns his attention to his guest just in time to watch Uncle Izuna pick up the empty ramen cup and chopsticks from the countertop "What are you doing?" The words escape before he can stop them, and he isn't sure he would have anyway. Those belong to Naruto. They represent the last items the blond touched before leaving home that day, the last evidence that Naruto had been more than just an idea, a figment of his imagination. Naruto had _lived here _with Sasuke, had been part of his life, and...and now...now...

Sasuke's hands begin to tremble and he clenches them tightly to avoid dropping the dishes. "What are you _doing_?" he asks again, more insistently, terror threading through the words.

His uncle's lips curve into that empty thing that passes for a smile in the Uchiha family. He crosses the kitchen and leans close to Sasuke's ear. "You don't need these anymore," he whispers before reaching past his nephew to drop the offending items into the garbage can behind him. "He's not coming back."

Despite Sasuke's grip, one of the teacups does slip from his fingers. It crashes to the floor and shatters, but Izuna doesn't back away.

"Tch. Sasuke...you're so like your father..."

No, Izuna doesn't back away and, in fact, if Sasuke was able to judge anything, he would insist, _insist, _that his uncle is moving closer, pressing against him, hands on either side, trapping Sasuke's back against the countertop—_and when had he even backed up against it to start with?_

"I've done as you asked, nephew. Don't you want to know who has betrayed you?"

The older man's breath brushes against the juncture of his jaw and neck, and still Sasuke doesn't move. Can't. His body refuses to react despite internal pleas to get away, to retrieve the broom and clean up the mess, to do anything that will distract and put space between them. It's an all-too-familiar feeling, but his sleep-weary mind can't seem to work out how he had previously escaped from such uncomfortable situations with his uncle.

"Itachi."

That's right, Itachi had always seemed to know when Sasuke needed rescuing from their uncle. Itachi had always been there for him, protecting him, watching over him. _Itachi..._

"Sasuke, aren't you listening?" Izuna pulls back, stands up straighter, and stares disapprovingly down at his nephew. "Itachi _killed _Naruto. Now what are _you _going to do about it?"

_[TBC]_


	7. Chapter 6 (family)

_**A/N:**__ The same warnings from the prologue apply throughout the story. Each chapter starts with a flashback that bleeds into reality._

_First half, in italics and past tense = __**flashback**_  
_Second half, not italics and present tense = __**present reality**_

_Next chapter and epilogue will post tomorrow!_

* * *

**We All Fall Down**

**by vernajast**

"**omnes vulnerant, postuma necat"  
**_(all the hours wound; the last one kills)_

**Chapter 6. (family)**

_So maybe it hadn't been the best, most thought-out plan after all._

_Sasuke was sitting alone on a bench at the bus terminal. He shivered as the breeze picked up and blew right through the thin sweater he was wearing. If only he had remembered to take his larger coat and gloves when he stormed out of the house, then he wouldn't have had to stop every five minutes to put down his duffle bag and warm up his freezing hands. And he wouldn't have missed the last bus out of town. He hadn't cared where it was going, as long as he was on it before his parents contacted the authorities to start looking for him._

_**Stupid. **__That's how he felt. What had he been thinking? How had he thought they would take it, really? He supposed, since his friends had taken the revelation so well, even going so far as to declare they had known all along, he had thought...his own parents...would understand, too. They were supposed to love him unconditionally, right? No matter what? So when his father had brought up the question of acquiring a girlfriend of "the right status" to accompany him to corporate parties and so on, Sasuke had thought it best to be honest and admit the truth: he didn't have a girlfriend because he was gay._

_Somewhere between his father's blind fury and his mother's wide-eyed stare, Sasuke had realized that they weren't taking it well at all. Utterly unused to such rejection, he had excused himself from the table and dashed up the stairs to his room, locking himself inside and collapsing on the bed. He supposed he expected his parents to follow him. He might have hoped that his father would bang on the door and insist that he open it so that they could talk about what had happened._

_No such thing occurred. In fact, as time stretched onward, Sasuke's apprehension grew. Were they discussing his punishment? Was his father's anger growing with every passing minute? Would they never speak to him again? He wished Itachi was home instead of at cram school; he always knew what to do._

_Rather than wait for him to get home, Sasuke's fear overtook his reason and he quickly shoved a few clothes into his black overnight bag. His spare toothbrush and toothpaste were already inside, so he tossed in his favorite book and zipped it closed with trembling hands._

_Now, over an hour later, he huddled on the bench watching strangers hurry past. He was cold, tired, and lonely, and his fear was slowly draining away to be replaced with homesickness. All he had to do was keep his mouth shut and play along. It wouldn't have been that hard, right?_

_Sasuke sighed loudly and slumped back against the wall. __**I want to go home. **__He tried to huddle further into the corner to block the wind and hugged his bag to his chest._

_He must have dozed off that way, because the next thing he remembered was being shaken violently by multiple pairs of hands. Flailing wildly, he tried to shove them away. "Ah! Fuck off! Leave me alone! You_—_"_

"_SASUKE!"_

_Wait, he recognized that voice. It was...it was... "Naruto?" And standing just beside the blond was his brother wearing a very concerned expression. "Itachi..."_

"_Dude! We've been looking __**everywhere **__for you!" Naruto punched his shoulder._

_It hurt more than it should, and when Sasuke really looked at Naruto's eyes, his chest tightened with the weight of guilt. __**They were worried about me.**_

"_Mother and Father have the police searching for you..." Itachi said quietly before picking up Sasuke's bag._

"_Tch. They hate me..." Sasuke muttered. He rose from the bench and kicked a little at the concrete. He didn't want to go home, but what could he do, really?_

"_They don't." Itachi put his hand on Sasuke's back and nudged him to get moving. "You'll see."_

"_Hn." Sasuke took a few shuffling steps, chewing his lower lip. He felt a bump against his arm only seconds before what he barely identified as a quick squeeze of his hand. When he raised his eyes, Naruto was looking straight ahead as if nothing had happened, but it was enough._

_With his brother and his best friend supporting him, Sasuke felt a little braver as they headed home._

In the master bedroom, Sasuke is crawling on his knees and rummaging under the bed, cradling the phone awkwardly between his chin and shoulder when Itachi finally answers.

"Sasuke."

His brother sounds the same as ever. His cold voice carries a subtle edge of amusement that might be described as fondness were it anyone else. But this is Itachi; he's hardly the affectionate type, so the only other explanation is that he's laughing at Sasuke. He doesn't understand why, but before he ends his brother's life, he intends to find out.

Sasuke withdraws his hand from beneath the bed along with the fireproof box he had been seeking. Fingering through a set of keys, he pauses when he's sure he's found the right one. "I'm coming over. Can we talk?"

The voice on the other end is silent and Sasuke would suspect he's been hung up on except that he can still hear his brother breathing softly through the receiver. "Itachi?"

"Of course. You are always welcome in my home, Sasuke."

Something in Itachi's voice gives him pause, and Sasuke's embarrassed at how his fingers fumble when he attempts to slot the key into the lock on the box, as if he's afraid, as if he's not completely ready for what he's about to do. He's sure that Itachi can hear the rustling on the other end of the phone, and it doesn't seem fair. It feels dishonest and insincere, but just as remorse tries to rear its head and guilt begins to twine itself within his heart, Sasuke forces himself to remember Naruto's funeral. He forces himself to remember how he wasn't even allowed to view Naruto's body inside the closed casket because the doctors said the killer shot him at point blank range in the back of the head. He couldn't see him because there just wasn't enough of Naruto's face remaining for Sasuke to recognize, anyway, and it would only damage his memories of the blond man and his contagious smile.

Itachi had been there all along, standing beside his younger brother, nodding in agreement. The man who did this to him had pretended sympathy, pretended to understand, _pretended to care_—Sasuke can't allow it to continue. Itachi must pay, so he needs to see this through to the end.

Gritting his teeth, Sasuke twists the key in the lock and the box pops open with a soft thump. His prize—Naruto's spare service revolver—rests inside, nestled amongst several folds of dark cloth, a box of ammunition, and a leather shoulder holster.

When Itachi clears his throat, it startles Sasuke from his thoughts and he nearly drops the phone. "Ah...!" He's momentarily forgotten Itachi on the other end.

"Sasuke, is everything okay?"

The younger Uchiha hastily mumbles an apology and rises from the floor. He moves over to the closet to search for something to wear aside from the boxer shorts and the t-shirt he had pulled on when his uncle arrived. Briefly, he wonders if the older man is growing impatient, but a glance outside reassures him that the limousine still waits at the curb.

"When should I expect—"

"Soon." He knows he has answered too hastily when Itachi makes a soft noise on the other end of the line. "I'm on my way. Is that okay?"

"Naturally. I'll start the tea."

With a muttered goodbye, Sasuke closes his cellphone and tosses it onto the bed. He slips into a pair of fitted jeans, takes the time to wash his face and style his hair, and checks his reflection for irregularities. Any mistakes now, and he could lose his chance.

When he deems himself mostly presentable, aside from the dark hollows beneath his eyes, he returns to the bedroom. From the box, he retrieves Naruto's pistol and the ammunition and places them on the bed alongside his phone. Fumbling with the leather straps of the holster, he slips it on over his t-shirt. He runs his fingers over the pistol, acutely aware of the coolness of the metal and the smoothness against his skin, then he slides it into the holster and pulls a black sweater on over his head, essentially hiding its existence.

One final look in the mirror, one final attempt to meet his own gaze, then he's slipping out of the bedroom and closing the door behind him. It makes a soft noise and something _final _tightens in Sasuke's chest.

Outside the townhouse, his uncle's driver waits for him beside the open rear door. Uncle Izuna is already inside and he makes no mention of the fact that it's taken Sasuke the better part of an hour to prepare. He simply pats the seat beside him, urging his nephew to get in.

They drive in silence, and Sasuke is grateful for the reprieve. No more questions. No more explanations. Only the thrum of blood through his ears, the pound of his heart in his chest, and the calm settling over his body. He gazes out the tinted windows, and instead of cars and billboards, he is watching the interplay of pale fingers on tan skin, the contrast of his legs tangled with Naruto's, and the shadows they cast against the walls of their bedroom. He's remembering Naruto's taste, his scent, his gasps of pleasure, his laughter—all of the things he's been missing...and will always miss.

"Sasuke." Uncle Izuna taps him lightly on the shoulder.

Sasuke shakes his head, blinking rapidly to dispel the memories and focus on the here and now. The limousine is parked in the unloading zone outside of Itachi's building.

"Remember..." Izuna takes Sasuke's chin in his hand, squeezing, tilting his nephew's head until he's looking him in the eyes and paying attention. "He took Naruto away from you. No matter what he says, it won't change this fact."

With a nod, Sasuke pulls away and exits the limousine. The gun and holster are heavy against his side; he's acutely aware of their presence and he wonders if anyone else notices them. However, when the doorman greets him as always, with a tip of his hat and a "good day, sir," Sasuke's convinced that his paranoia is probably misplaced. It enables him to walk a little taller as he enters the elevator, assured that no one will stop him before he reaches his goal.

_[TBC]_


	8. Chapter 7 (forsaken)

_**A/N:**__ The same warnings from the prologue apply throughout the story. Each chapter starts with a flashback that bleeds into reality._

_First half, in italics and past tense = __**flashback**_  
_Second half, not italics and present tense = __**present reality**_

_Posting the epilogue simultaneously. _

* * *

**We All Fall Down**

**by vernajast**

"**omnes vulnerant, postuma necat"  
**_(all the hours wound; the last one kills)_

**Chapter 7. (forsaken)**

_"I'm going to be in meetings all day," his father had said as he hurried out the door with his briefcase. _

_And that was it. _

_But really, what more had Itachi expected? Father was a busy man with many responsibilities. He should be thankful to be the son of a successful businessman and heir to the Uchiha Corporation. (He reminded himself of this fact every time Father disappointed him in one way or another.)_

_A loud honk from outside the house interrupted his thoughts. His little brother's ride to school had arrived. Dismissing his own disappointment, Itachi ran upstairs to retrieve Sasuke, and then ushered him out to the police car parked by the curb. As he carefully maneuvered his brother into the back seat, the blond man in the front leaned over to unlock the front passenger side door. _

_"Get in, Itachi. I'll give you a ride, too." Uncle Minato_—_he wasn't his real uncle, of course_—_was grinning broadly. _

_Itachi nodded and quietly joined him in the front of the police cruiser. He looked over the various knobs and buttons that lined the dashboard as they drove, only faintly aware of the squabbling in the backseat and Minato's rich laughter at their childish antics. Eventually, he just stared out the window, the fact that he was going to fail the assignment today a heavy weight in his gut. _

_After a brief pause to let the younger boys out at the elementary school, Minato got back into the car and headed toward the middle school, which was closer to the Konoha police station where he worked. The silence in the cruiser was slowly congealing, becoming a solid wall between them, and from the way the blond man kept sighing and taking a breath as if to speak, Itachi could tell that he knew something was wrong. _

_Finally, Minato asked the inevitable: "Is everything okay?"_

_Itachi considered lying. It was easy, and it wouldn't hurt anything. It was worth it to avoid bringing it up, but he respected Minato and...it didn't feel right. "Today, my classmates are bringing their fathers to school to talk about their jobsit's for a grade. And..." _

_"...and Fugaku's too busy," Minato finished the sentence for him. He hmm'd softly to himself as he pulled the police cruiser into the circular driveway in front of the middle school. Just as Itachi reached for the door handle, a hand fell on his shoulder and Minato's smile was a mixture of kindness and something deeper, something sad. "I'll see what I can do, okay?" He squeezed his shoulder gently before releasing it and waved as Itachi slid out of the police car and scurried into the school. _

_A few hours later, Itachi sat quietly at the front of his social studies class watching as one parent after another sat at the front sharing what they did for a living. He stared out the window listening as each parent described their very grown-up duties: construction work, banking, selling used cars... He became steadily more and more relieved that his father hadn't had the time to participate, as even compared to such mundane jobs, the Uchiha family empire of businesses would seem boring, at best. _

_Twenty minutes before the bell, however, there was a disturbance outside the classroom and the door was suddenly flung wide open. There was Uncle Minato, all blond hair and his staple grin, cheeks reddened by exertion, and all in contrast to his blue police officer's uniform. A quiet rumble erupted in the classroom, and Itachi glanced from his teacher_—_who was clearly startled_—_to Minato who seemed rather pleased with himself. _

_With a nervous dip of his head in greeting, he closed the door behind him. "Sorry, I had to stop a bank robber before I could come down here. Hehe..."_

_Itachi's teacher stepped forward hesitantly. "Excuse me, Officer, but are you...someone's dad?"_

_"I'm here for Itachi." Minato grinned again as if to reassure her._

_"I...see. Itachi, would you like to introduce your guest to the rest of the class?" _

_Itachi rose quietly and walked to the front of the room. "This is my godfather, Minato Namikaze." He hadn't really thought of what to say since he hadn't been expecting anyone to show up. "He's a police officer with the Konoha Police Department."_

_Minato grinned again_—_Itachi had never properly appreciated that grin until he saw how quickly it could mollify a crowd_—_and took a seat in the chair at the front of the room. Itachi sat beside him, as he had seen all of the other students and their parents do. He swallowed down a moment of panic, unsure what to say now, but then Minato started talking and a wave of relief washed over Itachi. Uncle Minato told the class about his job. He showed them his handcuffs. He reenacted some of his best captures of bad guys. And for the first time all day, everyone in the room_—_teacher, parents, and students alike_—_seemed excited to hear more. _

_And the more Itachi heard about Minato's job, which he'd always sort of taken for granted, the more he understood. Minato risked his life every day just to make sure that everyone else was safe. It was dangerous, but it had a purpose. Minato wasn't sitting in a chair all day, crunching numbers and doubling business profits from the safety of his office. No, he stood between their families and the bad guys and protected the people he cared about so that they didn't have to worry. The funny, happy, kind man he had come to admire was a hero, and everyone in the room that day knew it. _

_It was at that moment that Itachi decided: He'd really like to be someone like Minato when he grew up._

_Then, the bell rang and class ended, and Minato gave Itachi a ride home. When he came around the car to open the door, Itachi dashed out and gave him a quick hug around the waist. He blushed softly and mumbled a quick, "Thanks for coming!" to Minato before hurrying inside. _

_Even with the front door of the house closed behind him, Itachi could hear Minato's laughter as he climbed into his car to drive away. He leaned against the door of his house and giggled to himself, his own smile wider than ever before._

_Two weeks later, they buried Minato and his wife in the ground. Very few of the funeral attendees noticed how visibly shaken the older Uchiha boy was over the loss of his idol._

He loves his brother, but sometimes Itachi wishes that he wasn't so reactionary. Sasuke literally has two default settings—indifferent or impassioned—and right now, Itachi needs him to find a happy median, calm down, and think about what he is doing. When Sasuke hangs up, Itachi pauses and waits for a second background click before asking, "You heard? He's forcing our hand." He pauses again, listening to the voice on the other end of the line and pressing his lips together solemnly. He picks up the pistol resting on the countertop beside the phone's base, checks to make sure it's loaded, and turns on the safety. "We no longer have a choice. Make the necessary preparations."

When Itachi hangs up the phone, he sighs audibly. With the gun firmly in hand, he crosses the room to his companion—who's been sitting on the couch the whole time tapping his foot quietly—and presses it into his palm. "Hopefully you won't need this. Remember, stay out of sight. It should all be over quickly."

The man nods and disappears into the adjoining bedroom. Itachi watches the door close behind him with mixed emotions. His little brother is on his way, and his subordinates are in place. He's always known it would come down to this. From the beginning, he had hoped to keep Sasuke out of the picture; his brother's involvement will only complicate matters, and it's becoming increasingly hard to protect him. Of course, once Sasuke contacted their uncle, it had only been a matter of time.

Calm and collected as always, Itachi fills the teapot and sets it on the stove to boil.

* * *

On the top floor, Sasuke stops just in front of his brother's door. He reaches under his sweater and unlatches the strap on the holster to allow the gun to move freely. Pressing the buzzer beside the door, he licks his lips nervously and takes a deep breath. The sound of the latch being pulled causes his heart to trip over itself, suddenly racing too loud and beating too hard in his chest. And when the door opens and Itachi is there, standing right there in front of him, Sasuke's mouth goes dry and he fists his hands at his sides.

* * *

Itachi eyes him appraisingly before stepping aside. He doesn't like what he sees. Sasuke's sunken eyes and pallor betray his suffering. "Come in and have a seat. I'll bring the tea momentarily."

Itachi closes the door behind Sasuke and turns his back to head toward the kitchen, but he only makes it a few steps before the tell-tale click of pistol being cocked echoes through the penthouse. He freezes in place and inhales deeply to steady his nerves. _So it begins. I wish we could have talked more._

"Why..."

He isn't even sure he's heard it until Sasuke repeats the accusatory word again:

"**WHY?!"**

Itachi turns slowly, hands by his sides, clearly not reaching for a weapon. "Sasuke..." His lips curve into a sad smile. "I understand—"

"You don't understand _anything!_" Sasuke raises the gun, cradling it in both hands. His finger isn't quite on the trigger, but hovering just outside the protective trigger guard. "He...was all that I had...and you...you just..." The gun is weaving from side-to-side; Sasuke's hands are trembling.

"Sasuke. I'm sorry."

* * *

Itachi isn't moving.

_**Why **__isn't he moving?! Why won't he react?_

_Isn't he at least going to put up a fight? __**Defend himself?**_

Sasuke's finger slips inside the guard to rest against the trigger of Naruto's service revolver. It's poetic justice: he'll kill Itachi with Naruto's weapon and bring the cycle full-circle.

But before he can pull the trigger and put an end to _(his brother's life) _Naruto's murderer, a newcomer speaks, very close to Sasuke's ear: "You don't want to do this." The voice is husky and rich, and it's accompanied by the press of what can only be a gun barrel against Sasuke's lower back. "Bastard...put the gun down."

Something wet is trickling down Sasuke's cheeks. It's dripping off his chin and down his neck, and it takes a moment for him to realize the offending wetness is his own tears. He doesn't know when it started, but he's crying, and his hands are shaking so badly that he will never manage to align the gun to its target. "I...I just..."

It's effortlessly twisted out of Sasuke's grasp and slid across the floor toward Itachi. Then, suddenly, Sasuke's world is spinning. He's drops to his knees on the cool marble floor. The familiar way he is enfolded into the strong arms of the man behind him only causes his chest to ache and his heart to pound. It threatens to beat right out of his chest, and if he could just breathe, just think, he would be able to understand whatever it is that his mind is desperately wishing_ (hoping)_ is true.

"Open your eyes."

Sasuke doesn't remember closing them, but it takes a heroic effort to force them to open and face the inevitable. _It can't be. It's impossible. _When he opens his eyes, the impossible is exactly what he finds. Naruto's leaning over him, his tan face framed in a halo of gold and his bright blue eyes simultaneously broadcasting relief and concern. "H-how..." Sasuke manages weakly and the idiot has the audacity to actually _grin _at him like the grown up kid he's always been.

But just as quickly, the grin fades, and Naruto leans down to press his forehead against Sasuke's. "I'm so sorry...," he mumbles, and when Sasuke doesn't react, Naruto hesitantly dips lower to place a chaste kiss upon Sasuke's lips. "Sasuke...y-you hafta forgive me..."

It's the first stray drops of Naruto's own tears spattering against his skin that finally awaken Sasuke from his stupor. This is real. Naruto is here, in front of him, and he's crying and breathing and...and..._alive. _He winds his arms around Naruto's neck and pulls him down, greedily cradling his body against his own, needily pressing his nose and mouth into the hollow juncture of Naruto's neck and shoulder to breathe him in and reveling in his scent and the thrum of his pulse beating out the rhythm _alive-alive-alive_ against his lips.

_Naruto is alive._

Sasuke tilts his head up to look at him. He buries his fingers in his hair, and pulls him down, claiming his lips for his own, suddenly aware of how starved he is for Naruto's touch and taste, his very presence is a soothing balm for the Uchiha's wounds.

* * *

Across the room, Itachi watches their reunion with as much detachment as he can muster. He hadn't planned for this—it had been a last resort—but he can honestly say he is glad it worked out the way it had. The look on Sasuke's face when he opened the door had been haunted, and Itachi never wanted to see his brother look so broken again.

He crosses the room carefully so as not to disturb them and picks up the phone. With a button press, he is connected to his subordinate across town. "Move in and make the arrests." There is nothing more to say, so he hangs up and glances at the couple literally sprawled upon his marble floor. They've forgotten he is there, and perhaps that's for the best, so Itachi quietly retires to his office and closes the door to afford them a little privacy. He has work to do, reports to write, and paperwork to prepare before hauling the boys down to the station to make a statement.

* * *

In a bar downtown, a television blares, competing with the jukebox and the crack of pool balls for the attention of its patrons. A pair of newscasters are giving their evening report: _"Since then, the members of Akatsuki have been arrested and placed behind bars, including Izuna and Madara Uchiha. They are being charged with many crimes, the most heinous of which are the alleged murders of Chief Hiruzen Sarutobi, Lieutenant Shisui Uchiha, Captain Minato Namikaze and his wife Kushina Uzumaki, amongst others, as well as the attempted murder of Captain Namikaze's son, Detective Naruto Uzumaki._

"_Officer Uchiha Itachi, who had been undercover amongst the criminal organization for two years and whose own family has deep ties to both Akatsuki and the fallen officers, has stated that the arrests are the culmination of years of hard work and effort amongst all of Konoha's police force. Captain Hatake has added his own statement publicly commending Detective Uzumaki for his dedication to justice and his oath to protect and serve the public. The detective's death was reported a few weeks ago, and he has remained in hiding under Officer Uchiha's protection until the arrests could be made._

"_We're told that he has since returned home._

"_That's our new for the night. Have a great evening, and we'll see you back here next time. Good night." _

_[ .end ]_


	9. Epilogue (endlessly)

_**A/N:**__ The same warnings from the prologue apply throughout the story. Each chapter starts with a flashback that bleeds into reality._

_First half, in italics and past tense = __**flashback**_  
_Second half, not italics and present tense = __**present reality**_

_Next chapter will post tomorrow!_

* * *

**We All Fall Down**

**by vernajast**

"**omnes vulnerant, postuma necat"  
**_(all the hours wound; the last one kills)_

**Epilogue. (endlessly)**

Ash falls and gathers around the crease where glass meets wood on the table top. He's missed the ashtray again, and he quietly curses under his breath while brushing away the evidence.

A clock in the den chimes three a.m., and Sasuke shifts slightly, lights another cigarette, inhales deeply. He listens, as he always does, for the sound of clumsy feet on slick stairs, the rustle of keys before the right one is found and slotted into the lock, the click of the mechanism, and the slam of the front door.

Naruto growls at the lock, which is refusing to take the key that he _knows_ is correct. Dammit, they need to change the light bulb out here; he can't see shit. Just as he manages to get the key to turn and jams his shoulder against it to force it open, the door simply _disappears._

Well, to be fair, the door opened from the inside, but it _feels _like it disappeared, and an abrupt yank on his collar has him stumbling over the threshold and into the townhouse. His hat topples to the floor, followed quickly by his coat, to the cadence of the slamming the door behind him.

Sasuke's mouth latches onto Naruto's neck, sucking and nipping at any exposed skin he can find, and he reaches past the blond to turn the lock. With the reassuring click, Naruto expects Sasuke to back off, ask him how his night was, if he's hungry (and then promptly tell him to go make something, himself), but Sasuke does no such thing. He continues his assault on Naruto's neck, migrating up to his jaw and earlobe before shoving Naruto against the wall, not five steps into the entry. Naruto's head bangs against the wall, but Sasuke doesn't seem concerned. Instead he focuses on nibbling and sucking at Naruto's jaw, kissing his way to his lips, and claiming and invading his mouth, all while agile fingers work down the front of Naruto's shirt releasing one button after another.

With more skin exposed and his hand now free, Sasuke gathers up Naruto's wrists and pins them above his head. His mouth devours its way down the opposite side of Naruto's neck, across his adam's apple, and down to the hollow of his throat. His teeth graze across his lover's collarbone and over to the juncture of his shoulder and neck, a sensitive spot that immediately sends shivers of electricity down Naruto's spine.

Naruto struggles to release his arms, thinking it unfair that Sasuke gets to have all the fun, but the Uchiha tightens his grip, refusing to release him. Sasuke's free hand roams down to Naruto's waist and around his hip, ghosting over his ass to grip the waistband of his pants. Sasuke's hips buck forward, grinding gratuitously against the growing bulge in Naruto's pants, and the blond groans out loud, no longer so concerned with getting free as much as figuring out how to increase that amazing friction _now._

He doesn't so much _feel _the handcuffs going on as hears them. The "click" that Naruto is used to hearing when placing the cuffs on a suspect is too loud in the small entryway, a minor explosion to his ears, and his hips respond automatically by bucking and grinding against Sasuke's.

For the first time, Naruto manages to look up and catch the Uchiha's eyes, and what he finds there both excites and terrifies him. Sasuke's eyes are wild, manic; the sum of his intense attention is focused on Naruto's body, Naruto's pleasure. The blond lets his eyes fall closed. His head drops back against the wall, and when Sasuke sinks his teeth into the tender flesh of his shoulder, Naruto doesn't try to hold back the moan that bursts from his lungs. It's not the first time Sasuke's ambushed him like this since the whole ordeal had ended, and Naruto prays to any gods that will listen that it won't be the last.

But just as suddenly as he had started, Sasuke stops. He pulls away from Naruto and the blond is left to wonder what the hell is going on. "S-sasuke...what the hell are you—ah! Fuck!"

Sasuke has suddenly changed their positions, and Naruto's cheek is pressed down against the buffet table, his whole body bent over the waist-high table. Sasuke leans over him, grinding hard against Naruto's clothed backside while reaching around to unbutton the police officer's pants. He yanks them down in one fluid motion and follows the fabric as it falls, littering Naruto's lower back and outer thighs and the curve of his ass with kisses and bites. He pauses momentarily, and Naruto tries to sit up and flip their positions, wrap his handcuffed arms around Sasuke's neck, and somehow gain the advantage in this situation, but Sasuke slams him down onto the table again, and then Naruto's sucking in breath through his teeth at the cool wet sensation of lubed fingers being pressed against his exposed entrance. "Fuck, god, you could have—ah!—w-warned me—!"

He isn't sure, but Naruto almost believes he hears Sasuke chuckle darkly from behind him and he realizes that this isn't going to easy. Sasuke's not going to give him much time to adjust. The Uchiha's been craving him, probably thinking about doing this all day, just waiting for him to come home. Rather than cringing away from the coming rough treatment, Naruto presses back against Sasuke's fingers, welcoming them deeper with a grunt as the mix of pleasure-pain overwhelms his senses.

Naruto's heart is beating in his throat and his cock is already weeping pre-cum onto the buffet when Sasuke deems him prepared (_enough_) and replaces his fingers with his own erection. Naruto's first instinct is to pull away, but his hands ball into fists and he closes his eyes, breathes deeply and relaxes his muscles. Pushing back to meet Sasuke's hips, Naruto groans deeply into the tabletop as the Uchiha picks up the pace, spreading Naruto's legs wider apart so he can reach deeper and deeper into his body with each thrust.

_God, it's good to be home._

* * *

Hours later, Naruto rolls over once, then twice in bed, then slowly sits up. He grimaces slightly at the pain near his tailbone, and then the whole night comes rushing back to him. When he glances at Sasuke's face, his breaks out into a wide grin. _Oh, yeah!_

The Uchiha can act cold, sure, and indifferent, but anyone who thinks those traits carry over to Sasuke's love-making would be surprised to find that the stoic man is genuinely passionate and loving. He's possessive and needy and desperate and—_What the hell is that noise?_

Oh, it's the phone. The answering machine will pick up; he idly twists the ring on his finger while he waits. It's a plain wedding band that means the world to him—a promise to one another to never be separated again.

"_You've reached the Uzumaki_—_**Uchiha**_—_nu-uh, bastard!_—_household. We're not here right now, so leave your name and number, and we'll get back to you as soon as we can. Thanks!"_

The machine beeps, followed by a dramatic pause, which can only signify one caller. "Enjoying your day off?" Itachi's voice filters into the room, melodious and serene as always. "Let me know that you got home safely, Naruto. We'll see you in two weeks. Enjoy your vacation with pay; you've earned it." Another pause, as if Itachi has something else to say, and then nothing. He just hangs up.

Naruto sinks back down into the bed and presses his body against Sasuke's. With a smug smile, Naruto wraps his arm around his lover's waist and buries his face in the nape of his neck.

_Never. Again._

_[ ... ]_


End file.
